Trauma Informed Care Organizational Self-Assessment

Purpose

The Organizational Self-Assessment for Trauma-Informed Care is intended to be a tool that will help you assess your organization’s readiness to implement a trauma-sensitive approach.  Honest and candid staff responses can benefit your organization by helping to identify opportunities for program and environmental change, assist in professional development planning, and can be used to inform organizational policy change.

How to Complete the Self-Assessment

The Self-Assessment is organized into five main “domains” or areas of programming to be examined:

  • Leadership and Mission
  • Management and Supervision
  • Employee empowerment and work environment
  • Training and professional development
  • Staff health and wellness

Staff completing the Self-Assessment are asked to read through each item and use the scale ranging from ‘never’ to ‘always’ to evaluate the extent to which they agree that their organization incorporates each practice into daily experience.  Staff members are asked to answer based on their experience over the past twelve months.

Although there is a space for your name, this is intended to be completely anonymous and you are invited to share your name only if you choose.

When you submit your completed assessment, it is delivered back to The Alvarado Group from our anonymous email, not your identifying email address. We have no way of discovering from whom the assessment is coming.

Responses to the Self-Assessment items should remain anonymous and staff should be encouraged to answer with their initial impression of the question as honestly and accurately as possible.  Remember, staff members are not evaluating their individual performance, but rather, the practice of the organization as a whole.

Please complete this assessment within the next 5 days, it takes about 15-20 minutes.

There is a submit button at the very bottom of this assessment that will send your completed version to The Alvarado Group.

We will share the aggregate data from all received responses with all staff.

Organizational Self-Assessment for Trauma-Informed Care

Please complete the assessment, reading each item and rating from strongly disagree to strongly agree based on your experience in the organization over the last year. Use your initial impression: Remember you are evaluating the agency not your individual performance.

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY


  • Leadership and Mission

    To address the impact of secondary trauma, leaders in trauma-sensitive organizations proactively integrate strategies into workplace values, operations, and practices; maintain a clear vision that supports and articulates the organization's mission; and regularly model and promote open and respectful communication. Transparency builds trust.

    In answering the following questions, consider the past 12 months in your organization.



  • Management and Supervision

    To fulfill their obligation to lessen the impact of secondary trauma, managers and supervisors in trauma-sensitive organizations foster supportive relationships based on inclusivity, mutual respect, and trust; promote policies and practices that lessen the negative impact of stress at work; seek out and support staff following critical or acute incidents; and conduct performance evaluations that include discussions of secondary trauma.

    In answering the following questions, consider the past 12 months in your organization.

  • My performance evaluation includes a discussion of organizational and individual strategies to minimize risk for secondary traumatization.
  • My performance evaluation includes a discussion of employee contributions to a positive work environment.


  • Employee Empowerment and Work Environment

    To promote and maintain a healthy work environment, trauma-sensitive organizations foster teamwork; encourage collaboration both within and outside the organization; create formal and informal opportunities for staff to connect with one another, and offer opportunities to diversify job tasks.

    In answering the following questions, consider the past 12 months in your organization.



  • Training and Professional Development

    To strive for professional competency, capacity, and staff retention, trauma-sensitive organizations promote continuing education, professional development, and networking opportunities; provide thorough orientation and ongoing training; enable access to resources; and support staff participation in on- and offsite learning opportunities.

    In answering the following questions, consider the past 12 months in your organization.



  • Staff Health and Wellness

    To maintain the health and wellness of their staff, trauma-sensitive organizations recognize links between health/wellness and staff satisfaction and productivity; devote time and resources to promoting staff well-being; encourage and provide health and wellness activities, and incorporate wellness into policies and practices.

    In answering the following questions, consider the past 12 months in your organization.